Brookdale Senior Living President and CEO Lucinda “Cindy” Baier recently discussed her new book, “Heroes Work Here: An Extraordinary Story of Courage, Resilience and Hope from the Front Lines of COVID-19,” in a McKnight’s Senior Living Newsmakers podcast. Proceeds from the book benefit Brookdale’s Associate Compassion Fund. Here’s an excerpt.
Q: How and why did you decide to share your and Brookdale’s experiences in a book?
A: By sharing our behind-the-scenes information, we can help others learn from our experience. This is especially helpful for leaders who are navigating unchartered waters and trying to bring out the best in their teams for their companies or for society overall. And in addition, this is really both a keepsake for those who stepped up when it mattered most, as well as a guide to inspire other leaders to overcome whatever challenges they may be facing.
Q: Could you share some of the challenges you write about Brookdale experiencing during the pandemic and how the company met those challenges?
A: What we learned, and what we knew, is that everyone had an important role to play in the crisis and beyond. We also learned that great ideas come from all levels of the organization. And as an organization, we are stronger together, working closely together to focus on what matters most.
Q: How did your pre-Brookdale life and career prepare you for the pandemic?
A: I was raised by a single mom, and I grew up dirt poor. After my mom had a near-fatal car accident, before I entered high school, I learned exactly what it meant to become a caregiver. I became the caregiver almost overnight. And so the experience that I had with my mom — thankfully, she recovered — really gave me a deep appreciation for the work that we do. And it’s really central to the person that I am today.
And I also really learned that there are times in life when you have to overcome incredibly difficult challenges. Stepping up for my mom gave me a resilience and a work ethic that were critically important during the pandemic.
I also learned if you focus on what you can do, virtually anything is possible.
Q: What changes do you see extending beyond the pandemic at Brookdale?
A: One of the things that I’m most excited about is telehealth and the opportunity to serve seniors where they live, which is in our communities. Healthcare changed tremendously during the pandemic. Providing as many healthcare services as possible at home is something that will continue. That’s an expectation of residents today, which is very helpful.
Technology also gave meaningful opportunities to engage with family and friends and to pursue life’s passions. We saw residents join a grandchild’s wedding during the pandemic via technology. That’s something that I don’t think we would’ve seen nearly as much of before. And that’s something that I think will always be a part of our business going forward. But perhaps most importantly, it’s being very intentional about the personal connections that mean most for resident engagement. I think our business is even more personal today than it was pre-pandemic.
Q: What other lessons did you learn that will be useful to leaders in the senior living industry?
A: Focusing on the mission is vital — giving people a sense of purpose and creating a culture that people want to be part of. I think that everyone wants to be part of something that’s bigger than themselves. We’ve learned that if there’s negative emotion, that really drains energy, whereas positivity creates energy.
It’s important to lead by example, to encourage gratitude, empathy and active listening. We have worked to do that as an industry, but we need to make sure that we become even more attractive for associates to grow, to fulfill their purpose, to earn competitive compensation and benefits and to grow professionally.
I also think that there’s more work that we can do to highlight what is unique about this industry, something I call the second paycheck, which is the benefit that you get from interacting with the residents in our communities. That is truly what makes our industry special, and I don’t think enough people outside of our industry really understand how wonderful that is.
